Louis Guntrum, Riesling, Rheinhessen 2011

Sometimes I don’t know how they do it.

A pair of hands costs an arm and leg these days. So when a producer who is certified sustainable, farms in a less-than-marginal climate, drops excess fruit on the ground to concentrate the remaining grapes, aerates the bunch zone by removing leaves and still sells their wine for a song… I take note. These are the sort of vineyard practices you’d expect from a wine double the price in Australia, where admittedly the cost of labour is prohibitively high – but I think you get my point. This wine smells of value through and through.

OK, so it’s inexpensive. But how does it taste?

This wine is surprisingly mineral, tight and restrained. Just my thing. If you like your wines bone dry, this one’s probably not for you – but bear in mind a German Riesling with residual sugar in the mid 20s and acidity of 7g/L tastes a lot drier than you’d expect.

If you’re already a fan of German Riesling this is a fantastic entry level drink you can enjoy every day. If you still judge German Riesling by the Blue Nuns of old and are not willing to spend good money finding out if things have changed, grab a bottle Guntrum. It’s a great representation of what’s being produced today without losing an arm or a leg.